


White Rose Week: Roses in the Audience

by Host_of_Heaven



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassin's Creed Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting for Some Chapters, Assassin's Creed Fusion on Day 6, F/F, God of Light on Day 4, RWBY Moms on Day 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24640033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Host_of_Heaven/pseuds/Host_of_Heaven
Summary: White Rose Week, Audience List.Day 1: Love at First Sight/Eye ContactDay 2: BeaconDay 3: Secret RelationshipDay 4: GoddessesDay 5: Nap Time/CuddlesDay 6: Forbidden  LoveDay 7: The Princess and Her Knight
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 3
Kudos: 98





	1. Eye Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their four years all began with a moment of eye-contact.

It all started at their freshmen orientation at Beacon University.

Weiss’s entire academic career had thus far been defined by tenacious study habits and social isolation. When there was a test approaching, she went to the library to study, without fail. When she was in the common area and her ‘friends’ were being disruptive, she left and went to the library, until going to the library first became a habit. Before long, she’d cut out the friends altogether.

She didn’t intend for college to be any different. If high school hadn’t bested her, then the university would be a breeze.

Time would prove her wrong on all accounts.

* * *

On the first day of orientation, she stood at a table in the center of the building’s atrium. She kept to herself, and paid every other passing freshman no mind. Then, a girl broke her out of her focus bubble with a voice akin to a bright light.

“H-hey, excuse me? Sorry, I was just wondering if you could spare a second? I’m not really sure how to get to this room.”

In the moment, Weiss hadn’t put much more thought into the girl than her immediate request. But in time, she’d come to realize that this chance meeting changed both their lives forever.

Fate had it so they were bound for the same room, so she walked her there, and they just… talked. For the entire hour they were waiting for the session to start, they talked about school, life, music, and anything else.

After the meeting, they discovered they were going in with the same majors, and the girl gave her a phone number. Ruby was her name.

Even after one of the most substantial conversations she’d had in recent months, Weiss didn’t initially give the phone number much more than a passing thought.

That evening, they’d been meant to sit through an introductory seminar, but it quickly morphed into a recount of the professor’s personal achievements. Solely on a whim, wanting to voice her dissatisfaction, she texted Ruby.

“That was stupid.”

“Totally useless.”

And from there, they kept going. They texted about humor, their schedules, and short-term goals.

They met one last time on the final day of orientation. With the remainder of the day free, they sat at a table right outside the building they’d first laid eyes on one-another, and they talked. Family, food, home, the topic didn’t matter.

It felt like they could just be forever content in each other’s company. Before parting ways, they grabbed coffee from one of the dorm halls, and spent a final hour in a comfortable silence.

All throughout the last month of summer, their bond held fast. They’d make conversation whenever Weiss got off from work, and even started to video chat when Ruby finally got new laptop.

Over one such video chat, the relationship became something more.

“Have you ever thought of us as something more?”

“I have, yes.”

“Would you like to be more?”

“I would.”

When the fall semester started and they were reunited, suddenly they were introducing each other to whole new worlds.

Weiss treasured the looks on Ruby’s face when she introduced her to all-you-can-eat steak, and again when she was introduced to the most decadent selection of cheesecake anywhere in the country.

In turn, the affection and intimate company provided Weiss some of the most exhilarating feelings she’d ever experienced. They were both completely and utterly enamored.

Weiss would never forget the touched tone in Ruby’s voice when she met her outside at midnight to walk her home.

When they moved into an apartment together in their second year, some asked if they were moving too fast. But they weren’t much phased. If anything, they settled into a new rhythm together.

In their third year, when Weiss turned 21, neither had the stomach for much alcohol. They shared cocktails, while Yang and Nora more than made up for the deficit.

In their fourth year, they sat in the building where it all began, wondering what they’d do when the year was done. They inevitably thought back to the first moment in the atrium. The first eye contact had led them here, a little more than three years later. And it had changed them both for the better.


	2. Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four moms are called into a meeting to discuss punishment for their daughters. Peace was never an option.
> 
> AU supposes all 4 girls are the same age.

The four women were ushered into the office with haste. It was a bit of a surprise to be called for a disciplinary meeting in the second-to-last week of the school year, so some of them resented the supposed ‘urgent need’ for disciplinary action.

“I appreciate your co-operation on such short notice, everyone.” Vice Headmistress Goodwitch put a finger to her temple as she sat at the desk.

“Was all this really warranted, Glynda?” Kali asked. “It’s almost the end of their junior year. I’m sure they have far more momentous things to worry about.”

“I’ll say,” Raven agreed. “Yang hasn’t been able to shut up about-” she squinted her eyes in thought, looking to Kali with a perplexed look “-Blake’s ‘Not Another Birthday Birthday Bash’?”

Kali had to suppress a laugh. “Well, it was either that, or the ‘Bellabeauty Birthday Ball’. Blake was mortified when she heard the names.”

“I do feel sorry for that girl sometimes.” Willow’s eyes were half-lidded, but she could imagine the embarrassment Blake must deal with.

“Ladies, please.” Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose and blinked with vigor. “Let’s not get off topic. I called you all here to discuss a serious breach in our code of conduct.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Yes, this ‘physical altercation’.”

“Your girls started a brawl, out in front of the entire student body.”

“I’m sure they chose the most opportune moment to strike.”

“It was during the advisory period, in the middle of a mandatory pep rally.”

“And I’m sure the fight generated more pep than the rally ever could have.”

“Raven,” Summer attempted to mediate, “play nice.”

Raven sighed. “Did they at least win?”

“Whether or not there were victors is hardly-”

“I disagree.”

Glynda facepalmed.

“Glynda,” Kali started, “I have to say, none of our girls are the type to start fights unprovoked.” She crossed a leg over the other on her chair. “Are you sure they’re responsible?”

“Considering the district’s zero-tolerance policy, the responsibility lies equally with all of them.”

“That’s a load of bull!” Raven exclaimed.

Kali pressed the matter. “Be that as it may, I believe we have the right to know what happened.”

The headmistress conceded and looked down at her desktop, at a series of recorded statements. “According to these statements, the girls threw the first punches in a heated exchange with a group of boys in front of them.”

“OK. And is everyone alright? Or should we have met in the emergency room?”

Glynda donned a more serious face. “One of the boys suffered a broken nose, another a series of bruised ribs, yet another two black eyes, and finally, a possibly fractured mandible.”

Raven let out a hearty giggle.

“Goodwitch,” Willow interjected. Nobody had noticed she’d taken a swig from a concealed flask. She sloshed it around in one hand, school policy be damned. “While this all sounds dreadful, it’s hard to imagine our girls would do such things without good reason. Tell me, how exactly did Weiss get involved?”

“Supposedly, Weiss _started_ the fight, Mrs. Schnee. Witnesses say she punched Cardin Winchester in the jaw when he mocked Ruby’s eyes.”

Summer sighed audibly from her seat. “And is Ruby OK?”

“Aside from a sore knuckle, you daughter is fine.” Glynda looked at all the mothers’ faces in a row. “In fact, the worst injury any of your girls escaped with was a few missing strands of hair.”

“I’m relieved,” Summer said.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud of them,” Kali agreed.

“I’m afraid the issue is more complicated than that.” Glynda pulled another incident report out from the desk. “Given that Weiss started the fight, coupled with the fact that Yang struck a school police officer in the heat of the moment-” Raven groaned “-the present officers are inclined to blame your daughters for the incident. And who knows if they’ll press charges against Ms. Xiao Long.”

“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.”

Kali piped back in. “Will that really be necessary? Our girls have had near-perfect conduct thus far.”

“Regardless of their records, policy leaves no room for assault. The district’s recommendation is several days of OSS minimum, including from any and all end-of-year activities.”

“OSS?” Willow was unfamiliar.

‘Out-of-school suspension.” Raven was quick to clarify.

“Suspension?” Willow returned a look of disgust. “With all due respect, that is absurd.” She shook her head.

“We know these girls, Goodwitch. I can assure you; Weiss and Ruby are not the types to dabble in physical assault casually.”

“I agree,” Summer offered. “Ruby is too kind-hearted. And I’ve known Weiss a long time. She’s a wonderful girl.”

Willow nodded. “If I’m being honest, from some of the things I’ve heard, Ruby may very well be my daughter-in-law someday.”

“I think it’s a little early to talk about that. If Ruby and Weiss end up staying together, it should be what they both want.”

“No arguments here.”

“That’s all nice and wonderful.” Glynda’s tone betrayed an awkwardness. “I’m sure they’re all angels, but none of that helps them here.”

She continued perusing the incident report. “What we see here is these girls attacking four classmates, with disproportionate injuries.”

“Oh, Shut. Up.” Raven was irritated now.

“Excuse me?”

“I bet that Cardin kid had it coming.”

“The code of conduct would disagree. The district has a zero-tolerance for violence of any kind, Ms. Branwen.”

Raven scoffed. “That zero-tolerance policy is trash.” She leaned forward, her hands on her knees. “You want to know what I think? If I know bullies, – and believe me, I know them very well – then Cardin has been picking on smaller students for a while now, and Weiss finally got fed up with it. Do you honestly believe four well-rounded girls would just go and pick a fight with these boys?”

“Frankly, I find this troubling. If this school is unwilling to be just in its handling of discipline, I think it may be time for Weiss to consider other options. And the SDC’s sizable PTO donation _will_ follow.”

Willow’s threat hung in the room like a switch waiting to be flipped. Would she follow through? Probably not. But it had its intended effect.

Glynda was still thinking of a response when the door to the office opened.

“Let’s hope it won’t come to such a thing.”

Headmaster Ozpin stepped into the room with his signature cane and took a seat.

“Oz, what is this about suspension?” Raven practically growled.

Ozpin eyed her with the same unbothered look he always wore.

“Yes, that unfortunate incident from earlier. I’m afraid the brawl caught one of our guards in a foul mood this afternoon. I believe I can talk him down within the day, though it means settling for a Saturday morning workforce, in lieu of suspension.”

The mothers collectively sighed.

“I suppose that will have to suffice.”

“Acceptable terms. Thank you, Ozpin,” Summer granted.

Kali perked up at the new arrangement. “Ladies, if this is all taken care of, I suggest drinks at Schnee manor to celebrate.”

* * *

Ruby was nervous. The four of them sat in the hallway outside the main office, awaiting their sentences and whatever their mothers had to say.

She flailed her left hand, trying to shake off the soreness. She leaned her head on Weiss’s shoulder. “What do you guys think is gonna happen?”

Blake was the first to speak up, with a sigh. “Probably suspension. Two days if we’re lucky. Maybe alternative school programs for Weiss and Yang.”

Yang’s head shot up. “You think they’ll send us away? At the end of the school year?”

“I’ve seen it happen,” Blake said, shrugging.

Ruby frowned at the thought. She grabbed Weiss’s hand. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

“I know. But it was worth it.” She squeezed Ruby’s hand back.

“Worth possibly getting sent to an alternative school?”

“Something tells me mother will have some choice words for the administration, if that’s the case.”

Yang smirked at the thought. “I’d kinda like to see someone go off on Goodwitch.”

“Only because she keeps catching you late to class.”

“Yeah, but still.” Yang brushed it off. “Anyways, whatever happens, we still need to finish planning Blake’s party.”

Blake groaned at the reminder.

Weiss nodded. “We will. As soon as they dismiss us.”

And so, they waited, and were relieved when their punishment seemed so lenient.

But no satisfaction was greater than seeing Cardin the next Monday with a mouthful of metal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a comment on an r/Ruby thread


	3. Secret Relationship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Weiss are caught in a compromising position

Weiss and Ruby had been caught in a compromising position.

They weren’t doing anything explicit, but they hadn’t been ready to reveal their relationship to their teammates, either. Which is why the present situation was a shock for everyone involved.

They’d gone back to the room after a particularly strenuous day, and decided to blow off some steam with some kisses. Perfectly normal for a new, young couple. They just hadn’t expected Blake to come back to the room early. They figured she and Yang would be out terrorizing the town.

Instead, Blake stood at the doorway, unmoving and looking in. It seemed nobody really knew what to do.

"..."

"..."

As of that very moment, Weiss wanted to disappear off the face of the planet. Granted, it could be worse - it could have been Yang to walk in on them. If it were, Weiss would probably be fighting for her life right now.

But, sometimes, you had to wonder if Blake and Yang weren't really just sharing a dozen of incredibly snarky brain cells.

"This isn't what it looks like."

Blake just raised an eyebrow. She continued to make no sudden movements, just maintaining an awkward eye contact.

As if deciding to tune everything else out completely, Ruby dipped her head, and laid a gentle kiss on the corner of Weiss’s mouth. The warm touch, while very enticing, was of absolutely no help.

"Ruby!" She pushed Ruby away by the forehead, keeping her at bay, for the moment.

"You sure, Weiss? It probably looked like we're-" she started.

"Shut. Up," Weiss pleaded.

"Right," was all Blake had to offer.

Blake brought her hand up to the side of her mouth, and cupped around her lips, looking back into the hallway.

Just barely, Weiss realized what was about to happen, and moved to create a glyph faster than she'd ever done before. Fast enough that even Winter would have been impressed.

Blake took in a breath. "YA-"

But she was just slower than Weiss's sleight of hand. A black glyph materialized directly before her face, and the rest of her breath fell, silent and inert, the sound lost to the artificial void.

Weiss sighed in relief and pecked Ruby on her cheek, before shoving her off completely.

Her teammates were pests sometimes, all of them.


	4. Goddess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When given all the power of a goddess, Weiss has a choice to make

You’re Weiss Schnee.

You open your eyes to a noiseless white void. No footsteps, no wind, and certainly no screeches of grimm.

You try to remember what this is, or where you are, but you draw blank. Then, as the shock at your surroundings begins to wane, the memories comes flooding in.

There was a big battle. Salem’s forces had descended on Atlas, and the group was doing its best to keep the maiden at a safe distance.

Ruby and Penny had gone ahead, while you volunteered to hold off a group of monsters. Ruby’d hated the idea. She’d argued with you about fighting alone, but in the end you both knew it had to be done. So, you’d jumped from the airship after a quick kiss and drawn as much attention as possible.

At first, it had been going well. The beringels were tough, but your summon was tougher. Coupled with some clever uses of dust, you’d easily put a few down at a time.

As their numbers dwindled, two _human_ opponents came upon you from the tundra. You immediately recognized them, and you gripped myrtenaster tighter.

They were Cinder Fall and Neopolitan, and they charged you. You could handle the Neo girl well enough on your own, but Cinder made it a challenge.

You don’t really remember how it ended, just that there’s a sharp pain in your abdomen, near your scar from Haven.

Before you can think on it much more, a figure comes into sight and approaches. It’s a tall, yellow man-like creature, with a crown of antlers.

You realize it’s the god of light, clear as day, just like in Jinn’s vision.

You’re too taken aback to start a conversation. Instead, he speaks to you.

“Hello, Weiss.”

“It’s you. You’re the god of light.” He doesn’t seem to react to the identification, but you clench your teeth. “You’re the one who made Salem immortal.”

“I am.”

“You made her immortal, and left her on remnant, for us to deal with.” You manage to hold back any obvious shows of anger, but there’s some venom in your voice that escapes.

He doesn’t respond to the accusation, so you look around at the void again, and you remember it, also from Jinn’s vision.

“Let me guess. We’re between realms?”

The god nodded. “We are.”

A pit develops in your stomach, and your heart begins to drop into it. “That means… I died?”

Even in this void, it feels like your blood runs cold at the prospect. You’re terrified to think that you broke some very important promises.

“No. Not yet.”

“I’m alive?” It isn’t making sense to you. “If I’m not dead yet, then why am I here? You abandoned remnant millennia ago, so why talk to me, and why now?” You don’t raise your voice, but your emotions come off strongly.

“You _are_ dying. Your soul has yet to leave your body, so I wanted to take this chance to speak with you.”

You let out a dismissing grunt.

“With all due respect, I really don’t think there’s time.” You look down at your hands, expecting to see blood, or ash, but all you see is your own pale white skin. “I made a promise to someone I love that I’d be there for her, and that I wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.” You go back to looking him in his ‘eyes’.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather get back to it.”

His head moves very slightly, side-to-side. “Life and death, Weiss, are part of a delicate balance.” You recognize those exact words, and already you can feel a small scowl on your face. “To disrupt the cycle of life, and then death, is to disrupt the very order of nature, upon which your world is built."

You don’t quite listen to some of the words toward the end. You’re ready to argue about how it’s not fair, and about how you’ve been done a great injustice. But you remember how that worked out for Salem, and your shoulders slump.

“However,” he continues, causing your head to shoot up. “It is clear now, that Salem has continued to throw your world far out of balance, for some time.

“It was my hope that Ozma would be able to provide humanity a chance at redemption. But he's struggling.”

“That may be an understatement.”

“I still believe humanity to be a beautiful experiment. In the interest of one day judging it worthy of redemption, I’d like to offer you the chance to return to the world.” He holds out his left hand, and in a small orb, you can see the tundra outside Atlas, in the vicinity of your near-death.

And just like that, you start to feel on top of the world, being granted a second chance of life.

“Or,” he goes on.

Or?

“You may pass on, and be granted entrance to the after-realm. In a paradise of your own design.”

He holds out his right hand this time, and it’s a mosaic of different realms. You focus on it, and experience a rush greater than anything you could have ever imagined.

Paradise is you and Ruby, in love, across time and space. At Beacon, Haven, and Atlas, in enormous skyscrapers or modest apartment buildings. You see the two of you on continents and planets you’ve never heard of, in utopias, dystopias, and worlds with and without grimm.

Across all these different realms your relationship is the constant. You realize the weight of the choice the god of light is offering you – in that brief instant outside of time, you’re being given all the power of a goddess, to choose, and to a create a world to your liking.

You ignore the moisture creeping at the edge of your eyelids. In the space of that moment, you’re Weiss Schnee, and you watch yourself fall in love with Ruby Rose a thousand times over.

But paradise isn’t where you’re needed, and you have a promise to keep. Your choice is clear.

You reach your hand to grab at the Atlesian tundra, and the god gives you a knowing nod.

“Very well. I hope that you may help to provide humanity with its opportunity at redemption.” He retracts his right hand as the mosaic fades away. Your decision is made, as he hurls you back to Remnant.

When you re-enter your body, there are no wounds and you’re in the same area as before, except Cinder and Neo are gone, and you already know where they’re headed.

Ruby needs you now, more than ever. You use your semblance to go faster than you’ve ever gone, driven by the knowledge that Ruby needs you just as much as you need her.


	5. Nap Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Weiss treasure Nap Time together.

It was a cool autumn day. The main campus was littered with students trying to enjoy the beautiful weather. Every patch of green was bathed in the sun’s temperate glow, and every couch and leather chair was prime nap real-estate.

A nice day, Weiss thought, except for the inevitable crowding of the best spots.

Looking for some time alone, Ruby led her by the hand to a small clearing just outside the edge of campus. Like much of the surrounding area, the leaves of the vegetation were popping orange and yellow, with the wind giving a gentle push to conduct a symphony of low-pitched brushes. A nearby stream supplemented the brushing with a steady burble.

Weiss sat down with her back against the smooth trunk of the largest tree, and patted her lap – an open invitation for one. Ruby responded with a smile more warming for Weiss’s heart than the sun itself, and lied down on the grass with her head in her lap.

They relaxed, and settled into a peaceful rhythm. Ruby closed her eyes, and focused on savoring her girlfriend’s touch. Weiss ran her fingers slowly through Ruby’s hair, rubbing her head and humming a tune every so often.

It was one of those times they both treasured more than anything.

Before long, Ruby fell asleep, happy and at peace. And Weiss intended to keep her like that for as long as possible.

She didn’t even bother keeping track of the time. Ten minutes could have passed, or twenty, or thirty. She didn’t much care.

She leaned her head back against the tree, and just took in the sounds around them, hoping Ruby’s dreams were as perfect as their shared reality.

Eventually, she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Careful not to disturb Ruby’s position, she fished it out. It was Yang.

“Hello?” she answered, practically at a whisper.

“Weiss! Where are you guys? There’s supposed to be a gun show on campus today! Ruby’s not gonna want to miss it.”

Weiss could indeed recall Ruby mentioning some show this weekend, but the girl hadn’t been sure of the exact date. She finally looked at the screen to check the time.

“OK. How long do we have?”

“Uhm,” Yang started, “the thing starts in about an hour. In the Student Activity Center.”

Weiss knew they could easily make that, with time to spare.

“Right. Thank you, Yang. We can meet you there, in say, twenty minutes?”

“Blake and I’ll save you guys spots, so you better.”

“Affirmative.”

They hung up, and Weiss turned her attention back to the adorable girl in her lap. She kept their rhythm going another five minutes, before she knew she had to wake her.

Whenever they were napping or slumbering together, Weiss had a ritual for waking her rose. It was simple but sweet, and supremely effective.

She stilled her fingers in Ruby’s hair, resting her palm on the side of her head.

She leaned down and touched her lips to the corner of Ruby’s mouth. Just barely pulling away, she slid their lips into a proper kiss. Weiss admired the sight as Ruby started to wake and let out the cutest yawn anyone would ever witness.

Nap time was their favorite time, without a doubt.


	6. Forbidden Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and Ruby come from different sides of a perpetual war. But they fall in love, nonetheless.
> 
> A RWBY/Assassin's Creed Fusion Universe. Beacon doesn't fall.

A future full of love was never really something Weiss had realistically imagined for herself.

Her future had seemed like a clear path. Become a huntress, wrestle the SDC from her father’s cold, depreciating hands, and leave a legacy her grandfather could be proud of.

Years of living in Schnee manor had excluded love from the equation. But then she went to Beacon.

Her time at Beacon made her think that maybe, the future didn’t have to be so empty. There, she fell in love.

And Ruby Rose really was one of a kind.

She made things feel easy-going. She opened Weiss’s eyes to another world, full of new perspectives and new journeys to take.

By the end of their time in Vale, they were ready to embark on these adventures together, to make an impact in their own way.

Then they graduated and became huntresses, and Weiss was called back to Atlas for urgent ‘family’ business.

That was when her understanding of history shattered, and her plans for the future were torn asunder.

She’d been called to Schnee manor, and Winter and General Ironwood had been there to greet her. They escorted her to a war room beneath her father’s office, hidden from the world entirely.

It was there that they spun grand tales about artifacts, and the academies. About a secret war that had gone on for millennia, and about how Nicholas Schnee had revolutionized the way their order wove its influence into the very fabric of society.

After meeting Ruby, she thought she’d finally had her desires figured out, until becoming privy to the nature of the world caused them to crash and burn.

She still loved Ruby, but now, if she wanted to do right by her grandfather’s legacy, she had to uphold his order?

What good was knowledge if it pitted you against people you loved?

This question plagued her into the present day, as she stood in her bedroom.

She’d been contemplating her life when she heard a door open from the outside balcony, and in stepped the girl she loved so much. Her heart almost seized.

Ruby’s look had evolved in the months since they’d left Beacon, of course. She still kept the characteristic corset and short hair, but now donned a regal-looking coat, and her hood now barely covered her eyes from the outside.

She put the hood down, and looked Weiss in the eyes for the first time in too long. They spent a moment in a heavy silence. 

Weiss had to gather the strength to look away, to avoid the piercing silver gaze. For all the warmth it had given her, it could only do so much to illuminate the darkness still ahead.

With the knowledge imparted to her, she knew what the hood represented, and what it meant.

“Hmph. I suppose I should have seen this coming. With what we know now, it makes so much sense. You, an assassin.”

Ruby didn’t say anything, and didn’t make any sudden movements. She just shook her head, gravely.

“Why are you here, in Atlas?”

Again, Ruby didn’t offer much in the way of words. And it bothered Weiss, hearing so much silence from this girl who hadn’t been able to shut up in their days at Beacon.

“A job.”

Weiss nodded. “Are you here for me?”

Ruby averted her own gaze, now, and looked at the floor “No.”

“Ruby?” Weiss asked. There was something she had to know. “You told me once that you loved me. Is that still true?”

“Weiss,” Ruby pleaded looking up, as if the answer were staring them in the face. “It’s always been true.”

She grimaced. On some level, she already knew the feelings were still real. And that made it all the more bitter-sweet.

“You know-” she stopped, and steadied her tongue. “If we continue down these paths, they’ll only ever lead us to one place.”

No sooner than Weiss had finished the sentence had a blaring alarm gone off in the distance.

“I know.”

“Are you prepared to pay that price?”

With a downcast expression, Ruby extended and retracted her hidden blade, watching the iron slide in and out of view. Weiss recognized this as one of the girl’s nervous ticks.

“No,” she finally answered. “Are you?”

Weiss shook her head solemnly. “Never.”

There was a sudden banging on the door, as a stampede of bodies rushed by. Against the backdrop of a dozen urgent voices, one broke through.

“Ms. Schnee! Ms., you must report to the sanctum! There have been bodies found in the gardens!”

The heiress sighed. She smoothened out her own battle coat, and turned for the door. “Was that you?” she mumbled in Ruby’s direction.

“Do you really need to ask?”

Weiss stopped at the doorway. “You should get going,” she urged. Some part of her wanted desperately to pull Ruby further in and never let go, but it was overruled.

Ruby put one leg outside onto the balcony, without a care for the guards now roaming some dozens of feet below. Before she took the leap, she spared her partner a last yearning look.

“I love you.”

Weiss’s breath caught in her throat again. She didn’t dare glance back now. Looking at that face only ever made their separation all the harder.

“I know,” she said.

From behind her, she heard the soft shutter of twin doors being gently shut, and it was all the indication she needed, to know that she was once again alone in the manor.

“I love you too.”


	7. The Princess and Her Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Weiss wind down en route to Atlas.

Ruby and Weiss rested against the hull of the stolen airship, en route to Atlas.

They bundled up close, and enjoyed each other’s touch after the hectic day, and the battle against the leviathan.

It was a peaceful quiet, but Ruby eventually broke it with a nuzzle.

“Hmm?” Weiss responded.

“You know princess, right before I froze that leviathan, I thought of you.”

“Princess? Do you know how many times I saved you today?”

Ruby gave an embarrassed shrug.

“Well, between that and this,” – Weiss opened her palm, and conjured a pint-sized arma gigas – “I believe it makes me the knight in this relationship.”

She pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead. “For today, at least.”

Ruby hummed in thought, and smiled. “Does that make me the warrior princess?”

“Unless you expect me to go out and find someone else to be the damsel,” she teased, with a chuckle.

“No, I guess I’ll be your princess.” Ruby rested her chin on Weiss’s shoulder, and whispered in her ear. “Does that also mean you have to do whatever I say?”

Weiss fought off a blush, and they giggled together. They enjoyed another brief period of close snuggles before falling asleep, exhausted from the day’s events.

Weiss dreamed of being a knight, catching Ruby if she were to fall and standing in her defense.

For once in her life, Ruby dreamed of being a princess, with a heroic Weiss at her side. She had faith her partner wouldn’t leave anytime soon.


End file.
